


curtain's down

by Authumnder



Category: NCT (Band)
Genre: Alternate Universe - Coffee Shops & Cafés, M/M, appearance by one Lee Donghyuck, bc i am a cliche, he suffers so much please be gentle with him, in another word: Tom & Jerry
Language: English
Status: Completed
Published: 2020-07-16
Updated: 2020-07-16
Packaged: 2021-03-05 05:47:58
Rating: General Audiences
Warnings: No Archive Warnings Apply
Chapters: 1
Words: 1,428
Publisher: archiveofourown.org
Story URL: https://archiveofourown.org/works/25299373
Author URL: https://archiveofourown.org/users/Authumnder/pseuds/Authumnder
Summary: “See? You do think that we actually hate each other,” Taeyong says, which sounds like the biggest bullshit ever, especially when he adds: “which we don’t, of course. You’re just an annoying dude, but like, not to the point that warrants hatred.”
Relationships: Kim Dongyoung | Doyoung/Lee Taeyong
Comments: 6
Kudos: 49





	curtain's down

**Author's Note:**

> did i have a plot going on writing this? no. did that deter me? also no, as you can see yourself. anyways. ENJOY!

“I don’t actually hate you,”

These words, were they coming from literally any other person but this one next to him, would’ve made Doyoung laugh, or at the very least grin, because like, _who would_? Kim Doyoung is very well-liked, thanks, people actively not hating him ain’t no news to him at all.

 _But_ as it is, it is indeed Taeyong who said that, so in response Doyoung shrugs and says, “Yes you do.” without stopping wiping down the counter. _Puh-lease_ , ‘don’t actually hate’? That sounds like a big, fat, blatant lie. Taeyong probably only said so because he needs a favor or something. Doyoung would bet actual money that dude just wants him to take over his shitty Friday night shift which, not happening, fucker, Doyoung’s got plans that night. Oh yes, wallflower whomst? There’s only one Kim Doyoung, certified social butterfly.

(He’s lying. His Friday night plan only exists because Johnny owes him a party invitation after Doyoung spent three whole hours teaching him that tricky part in Econ 101.)

Taeyong sighs, like talking to Doyoung is a hardship to him—it might be, honestly, because at this point literally any acquaintance of either of them knows that they absolutely cannot stand each other. Even the manager and some of the customers at the cafe do—which is kind of worrying, actually, but Doyoung’s confident in his barista-ing ability and let’s just say if shove ever comes to push and a fight breaks out... he wouldn’t be the one with his ass fired.

“No, I really don’t,” Taeyong says.

Doyoung rolls his eyes at the unbudging coffee stain on the counter. “Who cares, dude, I’m not gonna be here on Friday night serving mediocre drinks.” He says.

“Who the fuck asks you to be here Friday night,” Taeyong grits out, audibly getting irritated. What was that again, ‘don’t actually hate’? Yeah, right. “I’m just saying, _I_ don’t actually hate you, ‘cause sometimes it seems like you really think I have actual beef with you or something.”

Doyoung finally stops wiping, stares at Taeyong instead, judging the way he haphazardly stacks the cups and lids. “We do not?” he asks, but only after he’s sure the dude ain’t kidding. You absolutely cannot fault him for the way his voice comes out shrill and shrieky.

“See? You _do_ think that we actually hate each other,” Taeyong says, which sounds like the biggest bullshit ever, especially when he adds: “which we don’t, of course. You’re just an annoying dude, but like, not to the point that warrants _hatred_.”

At this point Doyoung’s jaw is one with the floor. “Taeyong, I will gladly remind you that you slammed the office door on _my_ face this morning. You told me to fuck off when I amiably asked you to hand me the Sharpie. You deliberately spilled hot coffee all over my favorite sneakers yesterday. Which part of these screams ‘Doyoung, you’re my friend and I don’t hate you?’”

“Eh,” Taeyong shrugs, doesn’t even have the decency to look sorry. “You were being annoying, you kinda deserved it. Also, who says anything about being friends?” he gives Doyoung a once-over, continues with, “I don’t wanna be friends with you at all, dude, sorry not sorry.”

“Fuck you, I’m a delight,” Doyoung scowls.

“Yeah, says the person wearing a very ugly scowl,” Taeyong says.

Doyoung’s scowl intensifies.

“My point, exactly,” Taeyong says, even has the guts to laugh. Too bad dude’s quick enough to dodge the napkin Doyoung’s tossing at his face.

“Whatever,” Doyoung huffs, then, “maybe _you_ don’t hate _me_ , but _I_ definitely hate _you_.”

Taeyong raises an eyebrow with a slit on it, looking extremely infuriating Doyoung’s contemplating whether picking up his poor napkin on the floor and throwing it again at him is too much effort. It decidedly is, so Doyoung just turns his attention back to the dirty—why the hell is it still so dirty anyway? Doyoung’s spent like fifteen minutes on it already—counter and ignores whatever bullshit Taeyong’s about to spew.

“You don’t actually hate me,” Taeyong picks it up again ten minutes later, evidently not yet appeased with the result of their argument earlier.

Fucking great. Doyoung’s had enough of this—what’s so hard to understand about ‘you might not hate me but I definitely do, sorry but definitely not sorry?’ This further proves that Taeyong might only own three (3) brain cells predominantly that turn themselves off whenever Doyoung’s talking to him. Why the fuck is the cafe so empty, anyway? Where’s all the annoying customers when you need them?

“Yes, I do. And no, you cannot just say ‘no, you don’t,’ because _yes, I fucking do_ and no one knows me better than myself so shut the hell up and get back to work.” Doyoung lets it all out in one go, hopefully putting an end to their stupid, stupid conversation. Then again, conversations between Doyoung and Taeyong are either dismally moronic or simply full of resentment; so, not very surprising, Doyoung guesses.

Taeyong rolls his eyes, says, “But you cannot possibly hate me.”

“What, like it’s _hard_?” Doyoung replies as calmly as feasible. Plus, if you want to quote legendary icon Elle Woods you gotta do it exactly the same way she did, period.

Taeyong rolls his eyes again. One of these days, they’re gonna get stuck in the back of his head and never to return again and Doyoung would be the only one unsympathetic enough to say “ _I told you so_.”

“Yeah, dude, what’s not to like about me?” says Taeyong, running a hand through his heavily bleached hair while rising his eyebrows up and down like those are smooth moves that’ll make him look cool—he’s wrong, he looks slimy as fuck instead.

Doyoung’s about to open his mouth and diss him when the door to the back office bursts open, followed with Donghyuck’s shrill voice yelling, “You all at this _again_?”

Doyoung forcefully swallows back the slander, because if there’s one person in the world who’s heard enough of Taeyong vs Doyoung Bickering to last for a lifetime—it would be Donghyuck. Doyoung’s kind enough to not let him suffer through another session of it at basically the start of his shift.

“Taeyong started it,” Doyoung says, the same time Taeyong mutters, “Doyoung’s being annoying first.”

“You are _children_ ,” Donghyuck says as he slips himself behind the cash register, most probably to abstain another squabble from arising. “Why’d you fight about this time anyway? I feel like at this point you should’ve run out of things to argue about,”

“Doyoung’s insisting that he hates me like, _for real_ , which we know isn’t true,” Taeyong dutifully reports.

Doyoung wants to smack him _hard_ upside the head. “It _is_ true!” he says instead, because he’s a good citizen who doesn’t resolve to violence every time an inconvencience occurs. He’s not above yelling, though.

Donghyuck glares at the both of them. It’s surprisingly effective in silencing them, Doyoung has to give him that. “You do not hate Taeyong,” he enunciates clearly to Doyoung, then to Taeyong, “You do not find Doyoung annoying. There, I’m fucking done with this.”

Doyoung says, “Language!” as Taeyong sputters, “You cannot possibly think he’s not _annoying_ ,” which Doyoung responds to with an enraged, “ _Hey_!”

“Oh my god,” Donghyuk throws both his hands up, visibly exasperated. “I saw you two snogging next to the dumpster behind the cafe just _last night_. Shut the fuck up! You two like each other, you are just pretending you don’t. You should go out on a date somewhere nice and maybe you’ll calm down!”

Silence.

More silence.

Even more silence.

Silence so heavy it starts to grate on Doyoung’s skin—

“It wasn’t for a kid’s eyes, you shouldn’t be watching—” Taeyong starts, Doyoung agreeing immediately because, yeah, him pushing Taeyong into the nearest wall and then desperately smashing their mouths together definitely wasn’t suitable for a kid’s eyes.

“Argh!” Donghyuck groans, and slips back to where he came from. Which is the back office. Which he shouldn’t do because his shift starts seven minutes ago and a customer is approaching the counter.

“I am _not_ going out on a date with _you_ ,” Doyoung says quickly, before he has to put on his customer service persona.

“ _Ew,_ like I ever would.” Taeyong replies.

Welp. This argument definitely isn’t yet finished. Doyoung will get started back on it when he’s bored, definitely, but he also has plans to snog Taeyong some more next to the dumpster later when their shift ends, so. Yeah.


End file.
